A Mysterious Soldier
by Christine Writer
Summary: What will happen when the town of Stars Hollow has a Forties Fling and a mysterious blind man shows up asking for Rory Gilmore, the fiancée of Dean Forester? DeanRory and maybe Trory? JessRory? Christian Content!
1. A Mysterious Soldier

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Summary: What will happen when the town of Stars Hollow has a Forties Fling and a mysterious blind man shows up asking for Rory Gilmore, the fiancée of Dean Forester?

The high school gymnasium had been dressed to the nines for the Forties Fling. The requirement for attendance was being dressed like it was the forties. Rory Gilmore and her fiancé Dean Forester entered the gymnasium. She was dressed as a WAC and he as a captain in the Army. "Wow," Dean said, "the gym looks amazing!" he complemented Rory, for it was her handiwork.

"Thanks! You're so sweet!" she said half-jokingly. They smiled and kissed lightly.

"Augh—no PDA, please!" Loralei said from behind them, entering the gym on Luke's arm. Loralei had decided to come anyway, though she wouldn't be dancing. She was heavy with twins, and Luke was the typical doting father-to-be. He and Loralei had married one year before, after Rory had graduated college.

Dean had blown into town one month later, and he and Rory had started a relationship just as friends, but two months ago, Dean had proposed. Rory had accepted immediately.

"When will this thing start?" Loralei pouted as Luke settled her into a comfortable seat with blankets on the bleachers. Taylor came to the front of the small stage and picked up a microphone. "Let's get this started! We'll lead off with an Ella Fitzgerald classic, "Isn't It Romantic?" Enjoy!" he declared.

Dean and Rory began to dance to the slow song, Rory mouthing the lyrics.

_Isn't it romantic?  
Music in the night, a dream that can be heard.  
Isn't it romantic?  
Moving shadows write the oldest magic word._

Rory and Dean swayed softly in time with the music. Their eyes were locked on each other, totally oblivious to the people around them. Though they were dancing near the edge of the dance floor, they didn't notice when a young man in uniform came in the door with a white and red stick tapping the ground in front of him. He wore dark sunglasses to shield himself from the eyes that saw him that he couldn't see.

_  
I hear the breezes playing in the trees above  
While all the world is saying you were meant for love.  
Isn't it romantic  
Merely to be young on such a night as this?  
Isn't it romantic?  
Every note that's sung is like a lover's kiss.  
Sweet symbols in the moonlight,  
Do you mean that I will fall in love perchance?  
Isn't it romance?_

As the band launched into a beautiful instrumental bridge, the young man tapped his way to the bleachers and found a seat next to Loralei. She scooted over so he would have more space. He felt her presence and turned toward her. "Do you know a Rory Gilmore?" he asked, loud enough to be heard over the music.

"Yeah, I do. She's my daughter—who's asking?" Loralei nodded, although she knew he couldn't see the motion. "Just an old friend." he said cryptically. Loralei tried to piece together which of Rory's friends had been in the Army, but couldn't put it together.

"Well, she's right over there, with Dean, her fiancé." Loralei realized he wouldn't be able to navigate the crowded dance floor very well. "Do you want me to get her when this song is over?" she asked, not seeing the "that figures" look on his face. He nodded. __

Sweet symbols in the moonlight,  
Do you mean that I will fall in love perchance?  
Isn't it romantic?  
Isn't it romance?


	2. The Past Six Years In A Nutshell

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

The song ended and Rory approached Loralei to say hi. At the sound of Rory's voice, the mysterious young man stood and took off his sunglasses. "Do you have a 'hello' for an old rogue?" he asked. Rory's eyes opened in surprise. "Oh my gosh! Tristin?" she hugged him. Dean tensed as Rory released Tristin and linked both of her arms through one of Dean's.

"I don't want to intrude, but will you two meet me at Luke's after the dance?" he asked. "We have a lot of catching up to do."

Rory led Dean back to the dance floor as Tristin exited the gym. "Rory," Dean asked quietly, "can we go and sort this out now instead of later?" She nodded and they slipped out of the gym after Tristin.

It was a cold January night, and Rory had neglected to collect her coat. She pressed to Dean for warmth. Just before Tristin came to the crosswalk, Rory noticed that he was about to step onto a nasty patch of ice. "Tristin!" she called. "Watch out for the ice!"

Just as he set foot on the ice, Tristin heard Rory's warning and turned to thank her. He slipped and fell to the ground. Rory dashed forward to help him, pulling a grudging Dean along. She and Dean helped Tristin to his feet, and helped him to the diner.

When they settled at a table in the diner, Tristin rotated his right shoulder gingerly. A look of pain crossed Tristin's face, and Rory called to Cesar for an ice pack. Cesar brought it and looked questioningly at Dean and Rory. Rory gave him a look that said, "I'll tell you later." Cesar retreated to the kitchen.

"So, what's been happening with you in the past six years?" Tristin asked Rory.

"Oh no, you don't. What's happened with you?" Rory asked. Tristin shifted in his chair.

"Well, I spent two years in military school, graduated with honors, then joined the Marines. I fought in Iraq for a while, but unlucky me, I was home on leave and was in a car accident. That's how I went blind. Nothing interesting like getting shot in action or heroic like saving a fellow Marine. A car accident." He sighed. "That was two years ago. I decided last week when I was moving out of my parents' and my mom found an old directory from Chilton to see how the girl who blew Paris Gellar out of the water was doing."

"I went to Yale with Paris, actually. I graduated last year, second in my class only to Paris. She's married now to a guy she met there, named Doyle. They're expecting their first child."

"That was mostly about Paris, though. What about you?"

"Well, I broke up with Dean a while after you left, and then dated Jess, Luke's nephew. After him, I dated Dean for a while, then dated Marty at college, then dated Dean, dated a stuck up jerk at school named Logan, and finally wound up with my first boyfriend, Dean."

"Wow. Every other guy was lucky to steal you away from Dean."

"Yeah, I guess." she laughed.

"When's the date? Your mom told me you two are going to tie the knot."

"It's May 19th." Rory told him, smiling at Dean. Dean looked a bit jealous of Tristin, and Rory was glad that Tristin couldn't see Dean.

"Best wishes, then." He got up to leave.

"Tristin, would you like to stay the night at the Inn? Complementary for a veteran." Rory offered.

He smiled wryly. He had felt Dean's jealous stares. "Always the peacemaker, Rory. You should work for the United Nations. I know when I'm intruding."

He was at the door when Rory prodded Dean to stop him. "Hey," Dean said as Tristin pulled the door open. "If you want to stay in town and catch up, don't mind me. It's cool." Tristin stopped and considered this. He decided to test the waters and see if they were friendly or not.

"Really?" he asked.

"Yeah, man. It's cool." Dean assured him.

"Great—you two have to tell me everything about the inn. Does your mom own it?"

"Yeah. The Independence Inn burned down and after it was renovated, my mom bought it and renamed it the Dragonfly."

"Cool. How long ago was that?"

"I guess around three or four years ago."

Dean held the door open and Tristin and Rory stepped outside. Dean followed them onto the sidewalk, and they went to Dean's house. They climbed into Dean's car, with Dean and Tristin in the front, and Rory in the back.

They went to the Inn, and introduced Tristin to Michel.

"Oh, one of those annoying freakish rich children you attended high school with, Rory. A blind one at that. And we are giving the blind freak a room why?"

Rory gasped at Michel's rudeness. "You are giving the blind freak a room because he is a war veteran, but I guess that doesn't mean anything to a Frenchie, does it?" Tristin countered Michel's rude question. Michel smiled, handing Rory a key to the best room in the inn. "I have never met anyone on my intellectual level. Congratulations, sir. And your name is….?"

"Tristin DuGrey." Tristin supplied.

"Welcome to the Dragonfly, Mr. DuGrey."


	3. The Past Three Boyfriends In A Nutshell

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N: I just have to rant now about episode 7.7! SPOILERS (sort of) Loved the part about Siamese twins (Zach is so dumb but we love him anyway) and liked the whole Paris breakfast thing, but I didn't like that when Loralei hesitated answering Christopher's question, he pressured her. He goaded her into saying yes, and we all know that she's going to regret it. They are so not going to last. Loralei + Luke forever!!!! Okay, I'm done ranting for now.

* * *

The next day was tense in Stars Hollow. Miss Patty had spread the word about Tristin being in town, and though he couldn't see the stares as Rory escorted him around town, he could feel them. She made sure he didn't slip on ice, and she told him all about the town as they walked through it. They eventually wound up at Luke's for an early lunch.

"So," Tristin said, "You told me all about your boyfriends from the past six years, but almost nothing else. Tell me more about all of your boyfriends besides Dean. I want to know who managed to snatch your heart away from Dean. I don't think I ever thought anyone could, you two were so much in love."

"Well, Dean and I broke up after Jess, Luke's nephew, moved to town. I fell for Jess, and it seemed like he really cared about me. We broke up when he went through a rough patch in his life, and he ran away to live with his dad in California. He called me on my graduation day from Chilton, but he didn't say anything. Instead, I let him have it. Then out of the blue, sometime in my freshman year of college, he showed up out of nowhere and asked me to run away with him. I refused, and then he surfaced again my second year of college, while I was dating Logan. He had gotten straightened around and was a successful writer. He wanted me to break up with Logan, but I didn't, and so I haven't heard from him since. That was two years ago."

"Wow. Jess is somewhat of a bad boy/live wire, huh?"

"Was. He's okay now, from what I saw."

"Next boyfriend--Marty?"

"Well, he wasn't really a boyfriend, more like a boy who's a friend. Marty and I met under interesting circumstances. He was extremely scantily clad in the hallway outside my dorm room my freshman year of school. I lent him a robe, and we began hanging out. Soon after that, my grandparents got involved, and that didn't really go well after that. I actually didn't see him at all until midway through my senior year of college, when I was reintroduced to him as my then new friend Joni's boyfriend. We've talked a little, but not much."

"Again, wow. Did he recognize you?"

"Yeah, but he didn't let on that we knew each other."

"Ouch."

"Well, that's how it goes. Okay, next boyfriend--Logan."

"The stuck up jerk from Yale?"

"Yeah. Let's see. I was doing an article on the secret society of the Life and Death Brigade at Yale, of which Logan used to be the ringleader. I was actually dating Dean then, but broke it off and became friends with Logan. Then we became boyfriend/girlfriend. We dated for nearly one year, and then we broke up because of a disagreement which I'd rather not discuss. He then spent the time of a month or two not at all alone, but with his sister's six best friends. We got back together, gullible me, because it was "different." After the year was through, Logan was shipped off to London, and I stayed here. We dated until Christmas of last year, when I flew to London and after arriving early discovered he'd been cheating on me with a coworker named Bobby."

"Bobby?" Tristin looked at Rory with alarm.

"A girl coworker with the amazing ability of standing up beautifully." Rory clarified, adding, "She apparently was better at it than I was."

"Double ouch."

"So those are the detailed descriptions of all of my past boyfriends. I assume you know plenty about Dean?"

"Yeah."

"Speaking of Dean, I am supposed to meet him for an afternoon date. Can you fend for yourself?"

"Sure. Don't worry about me--I'm a Marine." Tristin smiled, and Rory left the diner.


	4. Did She Love Him?

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

* * *

The town waited with bated breath to see what would happen, if anything, between Tristin and Dean. Everyone walked on eggshells around the two, afraid to spark anything. Everything seemed to be going well. Tristin had decided to stay for a while at the inn, but insisted on paying. He befriended Michel, who saw to it that he had anything that his heart desired.

One afternoon, a week after he had arrived, Tristin and Rory were at the bookstore while Dean was at work. They were browsing through the poetry section when Tristin placed his hand carefully on Rory's arm.

"Just curious," he said quietly, "what made you come back to Dean after each one of those boyfriends? He's one lucky guy. I always figured you would wind up together, but I would have figured you'd have been married for at least a few years now."

"I don't know what made me come back. After Jess..." she trailed off, then changed her mind about what she was about to say. "Never mind."

"No, I honestly want to know. I promise I won't have a negative response."

"You will."

"Try me."

"After Jess left, I went to Europe with my mom, and around a month after I went away to college, I came home for the weekend and Dean invited me to his wedding."

"Wait, what?"

"Yeah, his wedding. He and a local girl named Lindsay tied the knot. And the night my mom launched her inn, we...we slept together."

"After he was married?"

"Yeah. And my mom bawled me out. And I didn't listen." Suddenly, Rory needed to dump all of these feelings on another person. She had never poured all of this out to anyone. "We tried a relationship, but then my mom 'sent me to Europe for the summer' with my grandmother. I wrote him a letter, which she delivered, and after he had read it, Lindsay found it."

"Whoops."

"They divorced, Lindsay's mom bawled me out in public, my mom yelled at her and told her that it was not her job to bawl me out, because she wasn't my mother, and that she, my mother, would and had bawled me out about it."

"Wow. Trauma and drama."

"We tried it for a while before Logan walked into the picture. I guess, looking back on it now, that I felt a responsibility to date Dean because I had come between him and his wife."

"So, you dated Logan, he cheated on you, and so you came home to Dean."

"I guess."

"Does Dean make you feel safe or something? It seems like everytime you messed up, or someone hurt you, that you ran crying to him for comfort, and if that is what made you marry him, then that's not grounds for a marriage."

Rory felt her face flaming. She grew defensive now. "And I suppose that you are the expert on that subject?"

"Well, I kind of am." he said. "I had a girlfriend, and she liked me because I was strong and made her feel safe, and she could show off that she was dating a Marine. We got engaged when I came home on leave, and three days later, I was in the accident that cost me my sight. She hooked up with my best buddy and fellow Marine, they got married three months later, he got out of the service and I haven't heard from either since. They moved to California, someone told me."

Rory was embarrassedly silent. "Just make sure that you are marrying him for the right reason." he told her. "I told my parents that I would be back to my new place three days ago, so I've got to go. I'll see you around."

She stood there, stunned into silence. Was she marrying Dean because she loved him? Or because he made her feel safe and secure? As Tristin left her standing in the poetry section, a display book of Emily Barrett Browning's poems fell off of the shelf, and opened to "How Do I Love Thee?...Let Me Count The Ways." Rory picked up the book and hugged it to her chest. Did she love Dean or not?


	5. Go To The Art Museum

Did she love Dean? Or did he just make her feel safe? Although she didn't know why, tears began streaming down her cheeks. She ran out of the bookstore, Andrew calling after her, "Rory, are you okay?"

She ran all the way home, jumped into her car, and was about to take off when Loralei saw her. "What's wrong, sweetie?" she asked.

"Tristin…..h-he told me that….I didn't really love Dean," she gasped between sobs, "and I think that he's right."

"Oh, honey…" Loralei said, "Of course you love Dean!"

"I don't know if I do!" Rory calmed down and wiped her eyes with a tissue.

"Why would you be engaged to him if you didn't?"

"You thought you loved Max and then we ran away!"

"I did love Max, but I wasn't ready for a commitment. I was irresponsible—but you are the most responsible person I know."

"I just need to go away and get rid of all thoughts of everything and sit and think." Rory decided.

"Go somewhere then. I'll cover for you with Dean. Go sit on the steps at the Art Museum of Philadelphia."

"Why the art museum?"

"I went there once and it was the best place for sitting and thinking."

"Okay." Rory shrugged.

"Are you going to be okay to drive?"

"Yeah, don't worry."

"Okay. Good luck thinking!" Loralei closed Rory's door for her.

Rory drove out of Stars Hollow and towards Philadelphia.


	6. Thinking and Falling

As Rory headed towards Philadelphia, she realized that she could go see Jess. He had always been able to help her clear her head without forcing his way into her thoughts.

Back in Stars Hollow, Loralei had just told Dean that Rory had left.

"Where did she go?" Dean demanded.

"Whoa there, Dean. She went somewhere; she's safe, I won't tell you because she has to clear her head of all thoughts and think for a little while."

"Where did she go?" Dean repeated.

"Not telling. She's safe. Nothing's going to happen. You have to trust her on this one."

"Fine. I'll find her myself!"

"You go ahead and try, but I accidentally told Tom that you wanted extra hours this weekend. He's expecting you at that worksite on Willow Lane right about now."

"Loralei, I can't believe you'd do this!" Dean shouted.

"Do what? Make sure my daughter knew exactly what she wants and needs at this point in her life? Just to let you know, Dean, you are acting a little possessive of Rory right now and I don't like that."

"I will see you later." He jumped into his truck and tore down the street towards Willow Lane.

* * *

Meanwhile, Rory was pulling up to the bookstore where Jess worked. A small bell rang as she entered, and one of Jess's associates appeared. "Can I help you?"

"Yes. I'm looking for Jess Mariano?"

"He doesn't work here anymore. He hasn't for about a year."

"Oh. Did he leave a number or an address?"

"No. He just turned in his two week's notice and left."

"Okay. Thanks." Rory left the bookstore and went to the art museum. As she stared down at the ice cold Schuylkill River, she wondered where her life was headed. She would go back to Stars Hollow, marry Dean, and live the rest of her life in Stars Hollow.

Rory stood and walked down the steps. She decided to explore the small footbridge that spanned diagonally from the museum to Boathouse Row. (A/N: This bridge doesn't exist.) She was halfway across the bridge when she leaned on the rail. Then she decided to turn around and sit on the rail. A lone biker sped down the bridge, and she jumped in surprise.

She felt herself falling, screaming, and also felt someone grabbing her by the feet. Someone pulled her up, and by the time she had regained her breath, she saw that her rescuer was none other than Jess Mariano.


	7. I'm Your Fiance!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

Rory just stared at him for a moment. "Rory?" he asked, almost disbelieving. "Jess!" she tried to stand, but he held her down. "Just rest for a minute." He instructed. "Are you trying to be that chick from _Titanic_ or something?" he asked.

Rory shook her head. "I was just thinking and the biker startled me."

"Getting lost in thought sitting on a rail over an ice cold river isn't the best idea."

Rory was silent for a moment. "What brings you to Philly?" Jess asked.

"I was actually sent here by my mother. See, Tristin was in Stars Hollow this week and he and Dean were tolerating each other. Then Tristin asked if I really loved Dean enough to marry him and I didn't know, so Mom sent me here to collect my thoughts and decide who I really liked." Rory blurted out.

"Nice. How long until you and Dean take the plunge?"

"Four months."

"You'll have to make up your mind soon, then, won't you?"

"I guess."

"And let me guess—your mom sent you to the art museum because they're a great place to think."

"How did you know?"

"Luke told me that once, I think. Anyway, the only thing those stairs are good for is exercise."

"Jess, I know that I have no right to ask this, but who do you think I should…I don't know how to put it. Like? Love?"

"Well, has Dean always treated you fairly?"

"Yes. He even took me back after I thought he cheated on me and so I kissed Tristin!"

"And Tristin?"

"I don't know. He used to tease me and was all arrogant, but then he reformed and now he's really nice and doesn't want to interfere. But Dean is still being possessive of me."

"Personally, I think you should wash your hands of both of them for a month, and then come back to the situation. You can go to Europe or somewhere else and give the situation lots of thought. Go somewhere neither guy will be."

"Really?"

"I think it might work."

"Thanks, Dr. Jess!" she joked, and took off for her car.

"Safe trip!" he called after her.

As Rory drove away, Jess sat on the art museum steps. He had been fighting the urge to tell her to give them both up and to choose him instead, but he'd never seen Rory in such a state before. It broke his heart to see Rory torn over two guys, let alone the fact that he was neither of them.

Rory drove back to Stars Hollow, reaching the house at around 11 that night.

"Mom?" Rory called as she walked in the door.

She found a note on the fridge. "At hospital."

Rory ran back to her car and ran smack into Dean.

"I've been waiting for you to get home." Dean said, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"Dean, not now!" Rory tried to get into her car, but he leaned against the driver's door.

"Rory, where were you?" he demanded. "Did you sneak off with Tristin?"

"I didn't sneak off with anyone!" she cried.

"Then where were you?" he demanded, flipping their positions so that he was holding Rory against the car.

"I was in Philadelphia today."

"Who did you see?"

"Jess."

"Why?" Dean demanded, slamming his fist against the top of her car.

"I didn't go to Philly to see Jess. I met up with him by chance."

"First Tristin and now Jess? Rory, what gives? You're hanging out with other guys more than you will with me—and I'm your fiancé! Your fiancé!"

"Not anymore!" Rory screamed, squirming out of Dean's grasp and kicking him in the kneecap. He reeled backwards, and Rory seized the opportunity to jump in her car and she drove to the hospital.

Luke was waiting anxiously in the waiting room. His white face gained a bit of color when Rory appeared. "Luke, where's Mom?"

"She went into labor like 9 hours ago and I haven't heard a peep!"

"I know you're worried about her, Luke, but I need you to do something for me. Go back to Stars Hollow and make sure Dean doesn't hurt anyone or anything, including himself!"

"Did you two have a fight?" Luke knew Dean could get aggressive when he fought with Rory.

"I guess you could call it that. I broke off the engagement."

"Who will he be on the warpath for?"

"Jess."

"I won't even ask why."

"Just go, please!"

"Would he go to Philly to find Jess and beat him up?"

"Yes. That's probably where he is now."

"Then we have to just let him go. The way he drives when he's ticked, he's probably halfway there now. Just hope some cop pulls him over."

* * *

Some cop did pull Dean over. Dean was fuming when he pulled to the side of the hospital.

"Are you aware that you were going ninety miles an hour in a forty per hour zone?"

"No, Officer." Dean lied.

"Have you had anything to drink?"

"No." this part was true.

"Mind telling me what's got you so mad?" the officer could see that Dean was mad, although he was trying hard to hide it.

"My fiancé broke up with me, okay?"

"I'm sorry to hear that. You're sure you've had nothing to drink?"

"Yes!" Dean growled.

"Would you mind stepping out of the car, sir?"

"I would."

"That's too bad, sir. I've asked you nicely, but I do need you to step out of your car."

"That's too bad, Officer. I don't feel like it." Dean knew he was entering dangerous territory, but he didn't care.

The officer opened Dean's door and pulled Dean out. "Shove off!" Dean yelled, spinning and landing a blind punch in the officer's face.

The officer wasn't fazed. He managed to handcuff Dean and pushed him toward the patrol car. "You are under arrest, sir. You have the right to remain silent, and anything you say can be used against you in a court of law."

Rory's cell phone rang. Loralei had now been in labor for eleven hours. "Rory, can you come get me?" Dean's husky voice caught Rory off guard. "I'm in the Milford County jail near New Haven."

"Why should I?"

"Because you're my fiancé!" he said testily.

"I'm not anymore. Truthfully, Dean, you need to cool your heels. I know where you were headed when you got arrested."

"Rory, at least tell my parents to come get me, then."

"Fine, I'll three way them in."

"No! Just tell them to come get me." Dean knew his mother and sister were college scouting this weekend and his dad would be the only one home. He could deal with his dad's face picking him up from jail an hour away from Stars Hollow, but he couldn't deal with telling him himself to come.

"Hello, Forester residence."

There was a silence on the line. Dean knew Rory wouldn't say a word, so he sighed and said, "Dad? It's Dean. I need you to come get me."

"Where are you?"

"I'm in jail in Milford. It's near New Haven."

"Jail? I'll be right there, son. You've got plenty of explaining to do."

* * *

So? How was that? Rough, I know, but I tweaked it a lot. Please like it! 


	8. Mr Forester

Mr. Forester used his cell phone to call Rory while on the way to get Dean. 

"Dean just called me from jail, Rory. Do you have any clue what this is all about?"

"Yes, Mr. Forester, I do. I kind of actually caused it." Before he could say something, she rushed on. "He was on his way to beat Jess up. Do you remember Jess?"

Mr. Forester nodded, though Rory couldn't see the motion. "Yes, Luke's nephew. What about Jess?"

"I hate to tell you this, but Dean..." Rory began to cry. "He's been acting agressive and very possessive of me lately, probably because of Tristin being in town, but he pinned me against my car tonight, and he looked like he was ready to slap me across the face. He--he wouldn't let go, and I kicked him so he would. I never would have thought I'd say this, but I'm actually afraid of Dean. Afraid of Dean." she was wiping tears away with her sleeve while she admitted this to Mr. Forester.

"Rory, as everyone in Stars Hollow knows, you've always been the one for him. My son can get possessive, and I'm sorry that he did that to you. Honestly, between the two of us, I wouldn't blame you in the least if you broke up with him."

"I already did, which is why he got mad and went off to beat Jess to a pulp."

"I'm glad we talked, Rory. Are you okay?"

"Not really, Mr. Forester, but I will be."

"I'll make sure Dean keeps his distance."

"Thank you!" Rory said gratefully.

Luke came into the waiting room to Rory and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Something's wrong with your mother!" 


	9. Something's Wrong!

Recap:

"There's something wrong with your mother!"

Rory and Luke rushed to the delivery bay, but Loralei had been taken into the operating room. Rory sat outside, but Luke paced the hallway impatiently. When what seemed like forever passed, a doctor came to see them. 

"Loralei's body, possibly because she hasn't had any children since Rory was born, was having some difficulty delivering the twins. She had to have a C-section to save her life."

Rory could tell that the doctor wasn't telling them something.

"Is Loralei okay?" Luke asked.

"Yes, Loralei's fine. She was lucky."

"And the twins?" Rory interjected.

"We couldn't save them in time. I'm sorry for your loss." he said simply. "You'll be able to see Loralei in her room in a few minutes. She knows."

The shock of what had happened hadn't quite sunk in to Luke. His head started spinning, and he dropped into the chair next to Rory's. Rory was crying. Luke wrapped his arm around her shaking shoulder.

"Why did this happen?" Rory demanded. "Mom was looking forward to having babies again! It's not fair!"

As Luke stared out the nearby window into the inky night, he shook his head. "I don't know. It isn't fair. 

"Let's go see your mom." he suggested. 


	10. Elizabeth, Emily, and Tristin

Tutoring Luke proved harder than Loralei expected, but it distracted her from the planning going on around her for the twins' funeral. Two miniscule caskets had been ordered, and they would be buried in the same graveyard as Richard's ancestors, in Hartford. Loralei hadn't even protested this, and it worried Rory. Normally, she would have insisted that the elder Gilmores didn't know anything and the twins should be buried in Stars Hollow.

Loralei had taken time off from the inn, and Luke from the diner. Cesar, Michel, and Sookie were worried about both Luke and Loralei, but reassurance from Rory helped ease their minds.

Loralei and Luke sat on the town bridge all day, almost every day, and Loralei schooled Luke in what she referred to as "Loralei-speak." She avoided telling him anything to do with children, but he went to Rory for that when Loralei was distracted. 

The day of the funeral was dark and wet, slush covering most of the graveyard. Rory had dressed Loralei in a longsleeve black dress and stylish heeled boots, with a matching clutch (stuffed with tissues, of course) and Loralei's opera-style cape.

The minister hadn't even finished when Loralei ran. She ran from the scene, tears streaming down her cheeks. Luke dashed after her, and it was only when she tripped and fell that he caught up to her. She lay in a heap on the cold, wet ground. He gathered her onto his lap, rocking back and forth. After a while, he ventured to break the silence. 

"Do you want to go?" he asked. She nodded.

"I'm cold." she managed. He lifted her carefully off of his lap and she stood, then gave a small cry when her ankle gave out from underneath her. She fell back into Luke's lap, and instead of her walking, he scooted out from underneath her and scooped her up into his arms. She lay her head against his shoulder, and he carried her back to her car. Rory saw them leave, and she nodded to Luke to acknowledge it.

After the caskets were buried, and Emily and Richard placed a bouquet of baby's breath on each, the crowd began to disperse. The Foresters were not there, but most of the town was. Rory had never seen Gypsy with her hair down, or Miss Patty in full black. Everything seemed off-kilter. Most of the crowd dispersed, and now it was only the people from Hartford paying their respects to Loralei via Emily and Richard.

One lone figure stood away from the small knot of people. He came towards Rory carefully, and she saw that it was Tristan! 

"Hello." he greeted her formally, then enveloped her in a hug. "I'm sorry, Rory. I wish this hadn't happened."

"How did you hear about it?" Rory couldn't remember calling Tristin. 

"All of Hartford did; don't forget that the twins were grandchildren of Emily and Richard Gilmore. What were their names? I wasn't exactly on time--my dad had other things to do." he said the last part scornfully, slightly angry at his father for his insensitivity.

Rory had almost forgotten that Tristin couldn't see the headstones. "Mom was so upset she didn't even name them--" tears began finding their way out of her clear blue eyes. "But Grandma came through--she snatched Mom's name book off the coffee table last time she came over and named the twins the way Mom wanted to--Elizabeth, after Liz, and Emily, after her mother."

Tristin nodded. "That's nice." he said. Then he snorted. "Never mind--that's stupid. I just want to laugh long and hard about the hypocrisy of it all.

"The twins died, I went blind--and Christians say it's all part of God's plan, but I don't think that's true."

Rory shook her head. "I don't know why all of this happened, but I can say one thing--it stinks." 


	11. Lucy's Forgiveness

"Can an old friend take a pretty girl out to lunch, or will her jealous fiance interfere?" Tristin asked Rory. 

"We can go." she replied. Tristin arched an eyebrow questioningly. "I broke the engagement to Dean."

He looked mildly surprised, and almost asked, "Why?"

As if reading his mind, she said, "I don't really want to talk about it."

"Where to, Miss Gilmore?" he changed the subject to lunch and put on a lighter manner.

"Anywhere."

"Okay, Lucy's it is."

Lucy's, Rory soon discovered, was a small restaurant in the center of Hartford, very upscale and trendy but at the same time had a relaxed feel to it.

"Table for two?" the hostess asked.

Rory nodded, and soon a waitress led them to their table.

After a few minutes and a glass of water each, they ordered. "A chicken Caesar salad with no dressing, lemon, and please have the chicken sliced." Tristin said.

"I'll have the same." Rory said. The waitress left, and Tristin looked at Rory.

"You didn't have to do that." he said.

"Do what?"

"Order a blind lunch."

"A blind lunch?"

"A lunch that a blind person would order."

Rory's cheeks burned as she realized that was exactly why she'd ordered the salad. So Tristin wouldn't be embarrassed by Rory eating something he couldn't manage comfortably in public, like a steak.

"I'm sorry, Tristin--that is why I ordered it."

"Do you want something different?"

Rory shook her head. "It's fine. But I won't do that again. Next time, I'll order a steak."

Tristin's heart raced when she said "next time." She would go out with him again?

They were distracted when their food came, and both ate in silence for a minute or two. Then Rory broke the silence. "This is so good--how did you find this place? Grandma's been taking me to different restaurants in Hartford for years and we've never gone here."

"It's actually fairly new--and I know the owner, so he told me all about it."

"Who's the owner?"

"An old army buddy of my uncle's, Mr. Alan Kingsley."

Rory nearly choked on her salad. "Kingsley? Does he have a daughter named Lucy?"

"I think so, why?"

(Quick A/N: Sorry for the mistake in chapter 3 about Marty. He was dating Lucy, not Joni. I don't know how I made that mistake, but I did.)

"Because she was my friend who dated Marty my senior year of college."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Rory looked slightly distressed, and hoped that it didn't also show in her voice. "At least she was my friend then, but not anymore."

"Why?"

"Well, while I was dating Logan, we went out with Marty and Lucy for dinner and I hadn't told Lucy yet about knowing Marty before she'd introduced us, because all things considered, the way we met was very embarrassing for both of us. So Logan was all like, "I'm not helping you two lie to Lucy." We were talking about how we had all met, and Logan said, "Marty actually introduced us. They've known each other since freshman year. After that night, Lucy spoke maybe a dozen words to me between that night and my graduation. I graduated, and she's never spoken to me since."

"I can see where Logan was coming from, but that's a horrible thing to say."

"I'd like to meet Mr. Kingsley, if you could introduce us."

"Sure. I'll bet he's back in the kitchen right now--he's always lurking about, keeping tabs on things."

"Okay."

Tristin asked the waitress if she could ask Mr. Kingsley to come to their table, and the waitress complied. Soon, Mr. Kingsley emerged from the kitchen. "Tristin! How have you been?" the bigger man boomed.

"Terrific. I have a friend here who wants to meet you."

"Great! I assume this is the young lady."

"Yes, sir. This is Rory Gilmore."

"Ah, Rory Gilmore! Stellar paper you ran last year!" he complemented Rory. "I, of course, am Alan Kingsley."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Kingsley." Rory smiled.

"Oh, call me Alan!" Rory nodded obediently.

"You have to meet my daughter, Tristin! She was tied up at school last time you came!" he turned to Rory. "I assume you and Lucy know each other."

Rory nodded uncomfortably. "There she is!" Alan waved Lucy over.

Lucy was wearing a stylish minidress with heels, and as she approached the table, she caught sight of Rory and almost tripped. She caught herself and came to the table.

"Hello, Rory." Lucy said formally.

"Hi, Lucy."

"Lucy," Alan said, "I'd like to introduce you to my friend Nathan's nephew Tristin. He's also a friend of Rory's."

Lucy nodded. She began to make an excuse of having to go, but Rory stopped her on her way by Rory's side of the table. Alan and Tristin were talking, and Rory seized the opportunity. "Luce, can we talk a minute?"

"Bathroom?" Lucy asked.

"Sure."

"Excuse me, Dad, Tristin. Rory and I will be right back." Lucy told the men.

"Of course. I guess it's true, Tristin, that women go to the bathroom in groups." Alan laughed. Tristin blushed deeply, and both Rory and Lucy laughed uncomfortably.

Once they got to the bathroom, Rory said, "Before we go through ten minutes of stony silence, let me just tell you why I didn't tell you that I knew Marty."

Lucy nodded testily. Rory began, starting with the party Marty had been at, how they'd met, their friendship, Emily's intrusion, and finally, how Marty introduced her to Logan. Lucy stood silently, listening, taking it all in.

"I didn't want to tell you because of the way Marty and I met, and because of the way he treated me when you introduced us. It was like he never knew me. So I don't know why, but I left it that way. It seemed easier at the time, but I soon saw it was stupid to keep it from you. I just didn't like the way Logan told you, you know?"

Lucy smiled and wrapped Rory in a hug. "I get it, I guess." she said. "Anyway, it doesn't really matter because after that night, Marty and I obviously went through a rough patch, and finally, before I could get a word in edgewise to break up with him, he broke up with me, saying how he still liked you and how I had, quote, "been everything to him until you showed up again." That was a slap in the face, as you can tell."

Rory looked horrified. "Oh my gosh, he didn't! That's awful--I'm so sorry I put you through all this!" she hugged Lucy again, who just rested her head on Rory's shoulder and hugged Rory back. "Friends?" Rory said, releasing Lucy.

"Friends forever--who needs guys?" Lucy smiled, and she and Rory walked back to the table, catching up on the past year.

(Major A/N: Sorry to make Marty such a jerk, but I felt that Rory and Lucy had to be completely united or not at all, so I united them against Marty. Sorry, Marty lovers!!!)


	12. In Love?

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

As the cold New England winter faded and Stars Hollow came out of hibernation, the townspeople were abuzz with all that had happened to the Gilmores. It had been six weeks since the twins' death, and Lorelai was now coming out of her depression. Everything reminded her of what could have been with her children, but Luke pulled her through it. He was doing well in Lorelai-speak so sorry, revised a few chapters ago and left out that Luke took Lorelai's mind off of the twins' death by letting her teach him "Lorelai-speak" and Lorelai was finally happy once more.

Rory and Tristin hung out together nearly every day, and as their friendship grew, romance blossomed. Rory was fairly sure that she was in love with Tristin. Every touch, every word, every glance carried volumes of unspoken words. She was giddy when she thought about him; she couldn't stop smiling or talking about him.

Tristin loved Rory, too. They spent lots of time together, and little by little he was in love with her.

But one day, everything changed. They were alone in Tristin's apartment, simply sitting together on the sofa when a strange look crossed Tristin's face. "What's wrong?" Rory asked him.

"I don't know." he said, honestly. "I can't put my finger on it, but something feels wrong." They were quiet for a moment, and Tristin discovered the answer in the silence. "It's us."

"What is?" Rory was genuinely confused.

"This whole thing. I thought I was in love with you...but--"

"But?" Rory prompted.

"It just doesn't feel right. Something's wrong, and I think it's just us together."

"Is this your self consciousness talking?" she asked him.

"No." he decided after a moment. Then suddenly, he said, "Do you think we could take a few days--maybe even a week--apart from each other and see if anything changes?"

"I guess. Would that make you feel better?"

"It would help me see if that's the problem, though."

"Okay." Rory agreed, wondering if he was right. The air around them lately had been charged, but not in a good way. Something niggling inside of Rory told her they simply weren't meant for each other.

Rory left Tristin's apartment, drove back to Stars Hollow, and sat on her bed. She was crying when Dean tapped on her window.

* * *

Bum-bum-bum!!!! What's Dean going to do??? (Sorry about splitting Rory and Tristin, but I have a better surprise for you.) 


	13. Dean's Return

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

"Dean?" Rory opened the window a crack. He couldn't touch her because of the screen, but Rory didn't feel comfortable opening the window all the way. "What are you doing here?" she asked, wiping the tears away from her face. 

"I know that you hate me, Rory, but I came—" an immense look of sorrow came over Dean's features. "I came to apologize. I'm so sorry that I ever scared you."

Before Rory could think of something to say, Dean continued. "Rory, I know that I have been horrible to you. I was actually ready to hit you that time. I don't know what came over me."

"Why, Dean?" It was a simple question, posed in innocence.

"Why what?" he asked, bordering on defensiveness.

"Why did you do that?"

"I…I was jealous. I thought you loved Tristin, and then that jerk Jess who broke your heart came back into the picture….I don't know. I guess it's because I love you."

"You think Jess is a jerk for breaking my heart? Let's see—" Rory grew angry at him. "How many times have you broken my heart? Twice in 10th grade, once in 11th grade, once in my senior year, once in my freshman year at Yale, and less than 2 months ago. That is six times, Dean. You've broken my heart six times. And I was stupid enough to believe that every time we fixed stuff and got back together that it would work out.

"But now that we've been apart," Rory began crying anew. "Now that we've been apart, I think it's for the better. You never loved me, Dean. Not in that way. You were infatuated—obsessed, even—but not in love with me. No one treats someone they love the way you've treated me."

"Please, Rory." Dean begged. "One more chance."

"Oh, please! You're making me feel like Kelly Clarkson. You know, "you had your chance/you blew it/out of sight/out of mind/Shut your mouth/I just cant take it/again and again and again and again." So stop talking to me, stop coming here. Just leave me alone!" After this mini speech, she closed the window in his face, drew the curtain, and went to sleep.

* * *

So how was that? Dean's out of the picture, so who's left??? 


	14. I Can't Love You

The next morning, Rory woke late, and her mind was fuzzy on the events of the previous night. Tristin had wanted to take a break? Had Dean come over, or had she dreamed that? Rory wished she could remember. She heard a knock at the door. Neither Luke nor Lorelai was up, so she slipped on her bathrobe and answered it. 

To her surprise, the person on the other side of the door was none other than Jess! 

"Hey." he said quietly, knowing that 9:00 was early for a Sunday in the Gilmore household. 

"Oh my gosh! What is this?" Rory nearly exploded, not caring if she woke the town. "Boyfriend Reunion Marathon?"

"I caught you at a bad time." Jess realized.

"No--" she shook her head and said softer, "come in."

He followed her into the house, eyebrow raised quizzically.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. "I mean that in a good way. I've had a rough week." she added, fixing coffee.

"I came to see how you were doing. No engagement ring?" he asked.

"No. I broke it off with Dean..." she trailed off.

"And?" he prompted.

"And got involved with Tristin." Rory admitted.

"Not to be mad, Rory, but what happened to 'go away and think about what you need and want at this point in your life?' What happened to that?"

"I don't know." she said quietly. She gave him a cup of coffee and poured one for herself. "I don't know!" she exclaimed, tears welling up. "Well, you were right, Jess. Are you happy about that? You were right, and now everything is a mess!"

"Hold on!" Jess touched her shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"Tristin broke up with me last night and Dean turned up at my window, and I think I quoted Kelly Clarkson, and then I told Dean to get lost and I shut my window and went to sleep."

"Wow." Jess looked sympathetic. "That's a big thing to do."

"You're not mad?"

"Why would I be mad?"

"Because I didn't follow your advice and now it turned out that you're right!"

"It was just some friendly advice, Rory. I'm not a psychologist. I'm just a friend."

"Can you be something more?" Rory didn't know if he could see how much she was hurting, and hoped in the bottom of her heart that he could find it in himself to love her again.

"Not right now, Rory. It wouldn't be fair to you, and I don't know that I can control myself." Jess said honestly. "I do love you, and that's why I'm saying no this time."

Rory nodded. It didn't really make much sense to her, but as long as it did to him, that was okay. 


	15. Why, Jess?

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

"When did you grow up so much?" Rory wanted to know. Not too long ago, he wouldn't have said something like, "I can't control myself around you, so I'm saying no, this time."

"When I became a Christian." he said.

"A Christian?" she asked.

"Yes. I was on the fast track to getting myself killed on the streets of Philly, and then I found Jesus." he said simply.

"So why didn't you tell me this before?"

"Before what?"

"I don't know!" Rory exclaimed.

"Rory, what makes you sure there is no God?"

"I didn't say that." she said defensively.

"You were thinking it." he countered.

"Yes, I was." she admitted. He knew her too well! "But how do you know there is a God? What about what happened to my mom with the twins? What about Tristin?"

"I can't explain everything God does, but I do know what Ecclesiastes 3 says."

"What's that?"

"That there is a season for everything under Heaven."

"So my mother is having a season of turmoil? How do you explain that two very healthy babies die upon delivery?"

"I can't, but those children are in Heaven with Him, now."

"Don't you have to be 'saved' to get to heaven?" Rory had heard all of the televangelists, and all of the doomsday enthusiasts.

"If you're not capable of free thought and will, it wouldn't be fair for God to let you go to hell, would it?"

"No, but he lets others go to hell. Why?"

"Because, they made a conscious decision against Him. There is no middle ground, Rory. There's God's side, and the Devil's side."

"So if I'm not on God's side, I'm automatically going to hell?"

"Well, yes. But you don't have to."

"Oh, I just have to 'give my heart' to a God I can't see?" Rory couldn't believe that Jess had bought into all of this junk.

"Yes. He says in the bible that he stands at the door and knocks, and you have to open the door to your heart."

"You're crazy!" Rory opened the back door of the house and ran. She didn't care where she was going, as long as it was far away from the new Jess.


	16. Author's Note

This is an author's note to any Christians upset by the turn of events in this story. Not to talk down to you, either, but I am a Christian. This story is sort of from Rory's perspective, though it is in third person voice. I have big plans for Rory's faith, and she just needs to trust Jess in this one. What readers need to know is that Rory isn't used to this faith, and it can seem a bit daunting or crazy to non believers. I've been told by more than one person that I must have been brainwashed by my parents to believe so solidly in Jesus Christ's redeeming power. Fear not, fellow Christians, I'm not abandoning Rory, and I'm not trying to make Jess out to be a fanatical Christian. That's simply how Rory reacted, being that she went to an extremely secular and liberal university. Thank you, and please continue reading. Have a little faith, please:) 


	17. There's A Reason For Everything

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

Rory ran to the bridge and sat down amid tears. She felt as if her world was spinning out of control, and she could do nothing to stop it. She wished she hadn't yelled at Jess. Would he ever speak to her again? She seriously doubted it for a moment.

But then, he appeared. He sat next to her and draped one arm around her shoulders comfortingly. "What happened to Tristin?" he asked gently. "I know he went to Chilton with you for a while, but you haven't told me much else."

"A little while ago, he was blinded in a car accident."

"That's bad." Jess agreed.

"But he's not a bad person. What could God be judging him for, if God exists?"

"It's probably not God's judgement meted out for past sins, Rory." Jess said. "After the creation of the world, there was a man named Adam. He and his wife, Eve, were the first two people on the earth. Then, Adam and Eve were tempted to sin by the serpent, who was really Satan. They sinned and lied about it to God's face, so they brought sin into the world, and death through sin."

"So you're saying," Rory said, "that if Adam and Eve hadn't given in to the serpent, there wouldn't be sin or death in the world?"

"Probably not."

"So why did my mom lose the twins? She hasn't been a bad person, either."

"All things happen for a reason, and sometimes that reason isn't shown to us." Jess said. "What happened when Tristin went blind? What would have happened if he hadn't?"

"His girlfriend broke up with him. If he hadn't gone blind, he probably would have married her."

"If he had married her, would you have ever seen him again?"

"Probably not." she admitted.

"Then, in a roundabout way, Tristin's blindness allowed him to find you again. And if he hadn't intervened, you would be married by now to a man who showed that he didn't really love you."

"I guess that's true." Rory realized.

"As for the twins, sometimes God has a reason that he doesn't show us. I can't explain why he took the twins away, but I do know that He must have had a very good reason."

"Jess?" Rory asked.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"No problem."


	18. Three Books and A Bible

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

Rory and Jess sat on the bridge for a while in silence. Rory was lost in her thoughts. The new Jess, she reasoned, must have come to be sometime between her first visit to Philadelphia and her more recent one. The new Jess might not date anymore. Maybe he was waiting for his wife.

"So..." Rory finally said, "where do we go from here?"

"I don't know." Jess admitted honestly.

"Would it be wrong for you to date me? I mean, because I'm not a Christian?" Rory asked, returning to Jess telling her that he couldn't date her at this point in their lives.

"Well, it wouldn't be so wrong if it didn't hurt you."

"What do you mean?"

He smiled almost sadly. "I love you, Rory. I never stopped loving you. That's why I'm saying no. I want us to love each other because we do, not because it's an alternative to dating Tristin, Dean, or Logan." Rory nodded. He wanted her to love him not just as a rebound guy. Jess rose, left the bridge, got his car, and headed out of town, presumably to Philadelphia.

Rory decided then to go to the bookstore. Maybe she could better understand Jess's point of view if she saw where he was coming from. She entered Stars Hollow Books and asked Andrew if he carried any Christian dating books. He pointed to the section, not even giving her a quizzical look. After Luke had bought dating books, Andrew had learned simply not to ask.

Rory found the right section and chose one called _The Dating Book for Christians_ and bought it. Andrew rang up the sale and Rory left for the bridge with her purchase. She settled down on the bridge and opened the book. The book outlined what the Bible said about dating, courtship, and marriage.

_The Dating Book_ said that it was not a good idea to "missionary date." The term meant that it was not a good idea to date a nonChristian, because it is easier for a nonChristian to pull a Christian away from God than vice versa. It also said that if a Christian is refusing to date someone he or she claims to love, it usually means that they don't trust their physical lusts not to take dominance in the relationship, thus hurting the person they love.

This didn't make a lot of sense to Rory, and just as she was thinking, "It would just be easier not to date at all!" she saw an advertisement in the back of _The Dating Book_ for a book called _I Kissed Dating Goodbye_ by Joshua Harris. The ad contained an exerpt from the introduction, stating the four "categories" of targeted readers. One type specified was someone getting out of a bad relationship.

Rory returned to the bookstore and bought the Joshua Harris book, as well as one by Sarah Arthur titled _Dating Mr. Darcy_. This appealed to Rory due to the fact that _Pride and Prejudice_ had been her favorite book in middle school. Rory purchased the two books and a Bible. She took the three books and the Bible back to her house. She chose a notebook from her shelf to take notes in, and began to read them.

* * *

A/N: Though _The Dating Book for Christians_ is not real, the lessons spoken of are. "Missionary dating" is never a good idea. However, both _Dating Mr. Darcy_ and _I Kissed Dating Goodbye_ are real, and both are very good books. 


	19. I Messed Up

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

Rory was deep in her studying when there was a knock on the door. Rory looked through the window, but didn't see anyone. She got up and went to the door. Outside was none other than Tristin!

"Hi." she said quietly.

"Hi." he repeated back, pausing before adding, "Look, Rory, I messed up."

"You did?" she asked.

"Yeah. What was I thinking? I shouldn't have broken up with you just because I'm a self-conscious idiot. I shouldn't have broken up with you at all."

Rory took a deep breath and went for broke. "Tristin, don't feel bad. Not to sound unfeeling or mean, but I'm glad we broke up. I got a dose of reality and of perspective, and it has really changed me this weekend."

"Really?" he asked. "What changed you?"

"Jess, actually."

"Jess Mariano?"

"Yes." she said. "He came over this morning and talked some sense into me."

"What did he say?" Tristin asked, surprised. Rory had never seemed like she had ever wanted to see Jess ever again.

"Well, sometime between Truncheon Books and the bridge incident--" Tristin looked at her quizzically. "I'll explain later." she told him. "So between my visits to Philly, he became a Christian."

"A Christian?" Tristin smiled. "He's already got you converted, doesn't he?"

"No." Rory said a little sharply. "He just said that he loved me and that we can't date because of the timing and he doesn't want to be a rebound guy," Rory continued. "And then I got three Christian dating books, and a Bible, and I've been holed up in my room all day figuring out what the heck Jess meant."

"Deep stuff." Tristin observed. "I'll leave you to your studying." Normally, Rory would have been impulsive and said something like, "I'll get back to that later--come in." But now, as Rory thought about it, she knew more and more that he needed to leave. She needed to get this sorted out once and for all--Dean, Tristin, Logan, Jess...it was too confusing to also add Tristin further into the mixture.

"I think that would be good." she said. "How did you get here?"

"I took the bus, and Babbette took me here. She told me to come over and she'd drive me back."

"Are you sure it was Babbette? I think she's away this weekend."

"Well, I'll call in fifteen minutes. If it wasn't Babbette, I'll be reading a ransom note over the line."

"Okay." Rory shut the door and leaned against it. It was so confusing! She just sank to the floor and burst into tears.


	20. Lauren

After Rory had finished crying, she knew that she couldn't do this alone. She got into her car and drove to the church in Woodbridge. She didn't need anyone from Stars Hollow to know her private matters; it would be across town in minutes.

She entered the church and followed the signs to the office. A secretary was there, working on some papers. The blonde woman looked up and smiled at Rory. "Can I help you?"

"Yes." Rory said. "I'm...well, it's a long story. Is the pastor here?"

"No; Pastor Chris is at a baptism this afternoon. Is there anything I can help you with?"

The tears came again, so fast that Rory didn't have time to hide them. "It's just so confusing!" she cried, sinking into a chair.

"Tell me about it, sweetie. What's your name?"

"Ro-ry." Rory hiccupped. "I'm from St-ars H-oll-ow."

"Hi, Rory. I'm Lauren."

"H-hi."

"What did you need to talk to Pastor Chris about, if I may ask?"

"Nothing. It's just--" and Rory found herself pouring everything out to Lauren, from start to finish.

"Can if I pray for you?" Lauren asked gently, handing Rory a box of tissues.

"Yes." Rory decided. "That would help."

"Father in Heaven," Lauren spoke as if to a close friend and not a distant deity. "Rory here needs Your help, Lord. Please give her Your peace, which passes all understanding. Please grant her Your grace and help her know that You love her. Draw her close to You, Lord. Amen."

Lauren's prayer made Rory feel much better, for some reason that Rory couldn't quite identify.

"Why is it so hard?" Rory asked suddenly.

"You mean, why is it so hard when you love a Christian and you don't believe what he does?" Lauren asked. Rory nodded. "Well," she said, "I felt the exact same way. My husband and I were young and in love. It was all about doing what felt right. And we felt right together. We were married in 1980, had our daughter a year later, and then he got saved. We got divorced almost immediately. But Chris never gave up on me. He was always there for me and for Whitney, our daughter. When Whitney was ten, she went to a Christian summer camp and was saved. She came home on fire for Jesus.

"I was so angry. I felt like Chris was responsible. I totally turned Whitney away from myself. I drove her further and further away until she decided to run away to Chris's house. He lived across town, and it was past dark. She left without me knowing, and I never saw her again." Lauren began to tear up, and Rory gave her the box of tissues back.

"She was kidnapped on her way to Chris's. Three days later, the police found her dead in a public park in the next state. That was the moment I bottomed out--when I learned that Whitney had been murdered. I felt so hopeless that night, I was ready to kill myself. I felt so responsible. By God's grace, Chris followed me home and prevented me from doing anything to hurt myself. I was saved that night, and I know that Whitney is in Heaven, with Jesus. A short time after Whitney's death, Chris and I were remarried, and soon after that God called Chris to become a pastor. He's now the pastor of this very church, Calvary Chapel Woodbridge"  
"Wow." was all Rory could say.

"God really loves you, Rory, and He will never stop."

"How can I get saved?" Rory asked. She wanted the security and hope Lauren had. She wanted it so badly it hurt. Lauren led Rory in prayer.

"Lord, I know I'm a sinner. I've done things I regret, but I know You love me. And I want to know You more, Lord. I believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross to save me from my sins. I believe that He came back to life on the third day, and I believe that when You call me home, I will be with you in Heaven."

Rory repeated the prayer, and immediately felt a calming peace surrounding her. 

"Congratulations, Rory." Lauren said. "Welcome to the family of God." 


	21. Tristin's Not The One

Thanks for being so patient!!! I have been super busy (including a missions road trip -- PM me if interested in the story) and also had a bad case of writer's block. I no longer have writer's block, but I am sick, so please pray for me to get better.

* * *

Rory left the church feeling peaceful. She drove home and settled back into her room. Then she called Tristin. "Hi." he sounded almost pained.

"Hey." Rory was suddenly at a loss for words.

"It's not me." he stated flatly.

"No, Tristin. It's not you." she didn't feel like a jerk saying this because it was true.

"I was never the one for you, Rory." Tristin tried to say the words offhandedly, but Rory caught the meaning loud and clear.

"No." she admitted. "Tristin, I used to think it was lame when people broke up and said 'Let's just be friends' but I honestly don't know how we could not be." she said honestly.

"I can't, Rory. Maybe someday, but not now. Goodbye." His voice sounded nearly robotic to her as they hung up.

Letting go of Tristin made everything easier. Rory was now officially single again, but she had set things straight with Tristin, Marty was long gone, and so was Dean. After she had turned him away again, he'd moved out of state. Now all she had to do was deal with Jess.

She called him the next day. "This is Jess Mariano." his voice mail greeted her. "Please leave me a message, and have a blessed day." She hung up.

* * *

That Wednesday, he called her back. "Hi." she smiled into the phone.

"Hi yourself. What's up?"

"In person. Meet me at the bridge."

"Okay." They hung up, and were at the bridge in ten minutes.

"You were close." she observed.

"At Luke's. I've been there since I saw you last."

"Ah."

"So what's up?" he asked. She told him the whole story.

"And this past Sunday, I got saved!" she announced.

"Rory, that's awesome!" he grinned and hugged her tight. "Praise God!"

"I know what you were talking about. I feel the peace of God."

"Rory, that's great!" Tears welled up in Jess's eyes. "I'm so happy." he whispered.

"And I told Tristin that he had never been the one for me."

"Is that true?"

"Yes." Rory nodded. "I was so confused before, but now God has straightened everything out."

"Good." Neither mentioned the issue of whether or not they could date now, and both were glad. This was a specific time to celebrate Rory's newfound salvation.


	22. The Happily Ever After End

For the next few months, Jess helped Rory grow in her faith. He moved back to Stars Hollow, and they renewed their relationship six months after Rory's revelation. They were married in the town square, by Pastor Chris, and Rory had never felt more right about a guy than at that moment. As she and Jess shared their first kiss as husband and wife, Rory smiled. Who knew that in less than a year, her life could have turned around so completely?

Logan and his fiancé attended, as did Tristin, Marty, and Lucy. Dean was there with Lindsay; the two had renewed their marriage after getting saved a month after Rory. They had remarried a month later, and were now expecting their first child.

Lorelai and Luke were the proud parents to be once again, and successfully brought Lucas Danes, Jr., home from the hospital four months after Rory and Jess were married. They were saved shortly after Rory and Jess's wedding, and everyone lived happily ever after.

* * *

(A/N: So sorry it's so short, but I think this completes the story nicely. Thanks so much for reading, for inspiring, for asking questions, and for supporting me so completely! I love you all very much!)


End file.
